Sub-surface Challenge 2016

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DrainBrain
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by DrainBrain »

And the winner is... ME! :D

Time 7:15:37, finishing at Upminster.

Amersham :arrow: Chalfont & Latimer :arrow: Chesham :arrow: Moor Park :arrow: Watford :arrow: North Harrow :arrow: bus to Rayners Lane :arrow: Uxbridge :arrow: Baker Street :arrow: Hammersmith (Cir/H&C) :arrow: run to Hammersmith (Dis/Pic) :arrow: Pic to Acton Town :arrow: Ealing Broadway :arrow: Chiswick Park :arrow: run to Gunnersbury :arrow: Richmond :arrow: West Kensington :arrow: run to Kensington (Olympia) :arrow: Earl's Court :arrow: Wimbledon :arrow: Earl's Court :arrow: High Street Kensington :arrow: Paddington (B/C/D) :arrow: Great Portland Street (the long way round) :arrow: Aldgate :arrow: run to Aldgate East :arrow: Barking :arrow: Upminster

So, I made a bad planning error, putting down a wrong time for Moor Park that had me making the -1 minute connection, which of course didn't happen and put me 16 minutes down leaving Watford, with the probable outcome of being 20 minutes down later at KenO.

Proceeded to Uxbridge as described by TOO, and headed back down the Met with GU, intending to double back at KXSP. At Baker Street the train was held in the station and a light bulb went on - I'm sure GU had the same idea for me - and I bailed to catch the train that I planned to catch at KXSP. I do now have a longer double-back to do later, but at least I can follow my plan for now.

Only I don't.

The train is a minute early arriving at Hammersmith (H&C) and at the other Hammersmith there's a Pic in the platform when I planned to go to Richmond first. I go to Acton Town, get a District to Ealing Broadway, but it's a slow double-back, and then a slow connection after the Chiswick Park to Gunnersbury run. But I do get a 30 second reverse at Richmond. I end up back at West Kensington 2 minutes after my schedule but I've still got plenty of time for the KenO run and make the train with no problem.

And then a few extraordinary things happen...

The KenO train leaves 30 seconds early and seems to race into Earl's Court. I'm up over the bridge and straight onto the front of a Wimbledon train and ahead by a train. Good job I'm at the front because I have to run around the platforms to catch the train back, which is headed to Tower Hill, but I'm a train up still. I'm wondering about gambling at Gloucester Road, but then I realise I'm on perfect schedule to get another KenO shuttle. I get off at Earl's Court, the KenO shuttle rocks up a minute later, I get to HSK and there's a Circle line train in the cross platform. I race onto it and it leaves immediately. Up over the bridge with a perfect door position at Paddington just as an anti-clockwise Circle train arrives one minute late! I'm suddenly a whole Circle train up on my plan, albeit with an extra double-back to do.

A long haul now around to GPS. In the Barbican/Farringdon area, where there's some daylight, I check the live departures on my phone, but it's clear I'm not going to get my original train at GPS, and it looks like it will be Met-Circle-Met, when I really want an H&C. I get a Met to Aldgate and run to Aldgate East. The worst that can happen is I'll get the H&C that was a few trains behind, and when I get to Aldgate East there's an empty platform and the sign simply says 'Barking'. Phooey!

However, it turns out this a District line train to Barking (still phooey!), but when I get to Barking, the next train is an Upminster service and the one after that is a terminator, presumably the H&C, so I have gained a train. I arrive at Upminster one District line train down - about five minutes - on my original schedule.

As TOO says, there's a lot of boring sections on this challenge, but I had a lot of fun improvising the middle sections.
Royal Oak to Bethnal Green in 333 days
Heathrow Terminal 4 to Amersham in 17 hours, 42 minutes and 22 seconds
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crypto
Zone 2
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by crypto »

Going Underground wrote:crypto, you were spotted several times what's going on :wink:

Didn't realise I was so popular :P. I needed to be in London in the evening, and did what I usually do of crossing off more uncompleted lines during the day. Remembered last minute that this was happening, so made half baked plans to see if I could bump into people at the start of the challenge and cross off the north west corner in the process. Apparently you were all there but the timings were off. I was eagerly waiting at Chalfont & Latimer for a dash of people off an eastbound train

Re TOO, correct on the first three sightings, but did not go to Rayner's Lane.
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Going Underground
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by Going Underground »

Well done Nick :D Seems our days turned on their heads with the timings and I very pleased you beat my projected time of around 7hrs 19mins as it would have been more annoying had the Ken O barriers cost me 1st place...
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DrainBrain
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by DrainBrain »

I should have gone with gkr on the Amersham/Chesham run and saved another 9 minutes. :)

Sub 7 hours possible?
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tractakid
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by tractakid »

DrainBrain wrote:I should have gone with gkr on the Amersham/Chesham run and saved another 9 minutes. :)

Sub 7 hours possible?
I remember completely ruling out Amersham-Chesham on foot. Now I run further than that every single Saturday. except when I'm volunteering of course.
*insert boasting about notable tube accomplishments here*
palkanetoijala31

Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by palkanetoijala31 »

tractakid wrote:
DrainBrain wrote:I should have gone with gkr on the Amersham/Chesham run and saved another 9 minutes. :)

Sub 7 hours possible?
I remember completely ruling out Amersham-Chesham on foot. Now I run further than that every single Saturday. except when I'm volunteering of course.
That's funny I thought it was longer than 5km
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Tube Geek
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by Tube Geek »

4.4 km

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Amers ... 2d51.70525 The distance according to Google Maps
Personal Best - 264 Stations in 19 hours 37 minutes.

COYR
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Iain
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by Iain »

2.3 miles - a 5k is 3.1 miles.
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Going Underground
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by Going Underground »

Plus mainly downhill the way Peter went..
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greatkingrat
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by greatkingrat »

DrainBrain wrote:I should have gone with gkr on the Amersham/Chesham run and saved another 9 minutes. :)

Sub 7 hours possible?
I think so, if you can pick your own starting time and get a good connection at Moor Park that would save a chunk of time.
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JBA
Zone 1
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Re: Sub-surface Challenge 2016

Post by JBA »

Hi guys,

I hope had a great time, apologies for my absence! I will speak to Tangy about this challenge appearing on explorerticket, and hopefully there will be another sub-surface day at the end of the year.

see you at zone 1 day

JBA
Josh Nichols-Ageros
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